Berlin Coffee Shop – Episode One by Gerlis Zillgens | Review

Follow Sandra and friends as they navigate life, love, and their late-twenties in Germany's hip Berlin.

In this episode, Sandra, a self-employed "finder of things," is in urgent need of a "real" office. Her parents have suddenly appeared on her doorstep and want to see the workspace they've so generously funded. What they don't know, is that Sandra's "office" is just a table in Captain's café "Coffee Shop" and she has used their money for other purposes.

Nils brainstorms a quick fix: how about staging her best friend, Claudi's apartment? There's just one problem standing in the way: Claudi's landlord. Things only take a turn for the worse when Captain tosses her and the Doric columns out of the coffee shop. Once again, Nils has a solution: the key to Captain's storeroom.

The Coffee Shop - a cozy café in Germany's capital, Berlin - just happens to be the best office in the world. From here, Sandra practices her quirky trade as a "finder-of things." She caters to customers who have lost or want to find something that's missing from their lives. Doric Colums as an engagement gift? Check. Missing childhood photos? Done. But in her quest to grant other people's wishes, Sandra suddenly finds herself in search of her own happiness - and of herself. Toss in a dead goose, and it's the perfect recipe for romantic disaster.

Berlin Coffee Shop is a new digital serial novel for fans of "Sex and the City," "Friends," and "How I met your Mother." The story is told in six parts, as each novella builds upon the next. Berlin Coffee Shop is produced by German publishing house, Bastei Luebbe in cooperation with TV production company Saxonia Media GmbH.

Author Gerlis Zillgens lives in Germany and has written novels and screenplays and developed TV series.

EBook serials are gaining popularity in recent months and while they have never been something I’ve been particularly interested in trying, when I spotted Berlin Coffee Shop and read the blurb which promised me a Friends/HIMYM mash-up I knew I couldn’t say no.

In episode one, we’re introduced to Sandra, a self-employed ‘Seeker of things’, she earns her money rather precariously, tracking down all manner of objects for people in need. Her unofficial office is the coffee shop run by her friend, Captain. More effervescent than a glass of champagne, he alternately feeds Sandra and argues with her about the wide range of objects that somehow inhabit any spare space of his cafe until Sandra can deliver them to her waiting clients. Playing devil’s advocate is the sweet and supportive Nils who is ever present to offer assistance in her searches and perhaps would like to offer her more…Rounding out the group is the quirky Claudi, obsessed with Asterix figurines, she documents every waking moment on Facebook. This group of friends, despite their differences, manage to balance each others’ off-beat natures and form a deep friendship.

Zillgens presents a witty, pacy story that I quickly devoured as I chuckled at all manner of scrapes and hijinks Sandra and her friends found themselves in. From mistaken identities to pulling off spur of the moment pretend relationships to appease the parents, Berlin Coffee Shop offers plenty for its first outing and leaves the reader wanting more.